New to the pit from suburban Chicago, not that new to smoking briskets and butts. Saturday I threw a 12 pound brisket on my little Traeger. A few days earlier the wind (windy city) blew the cover off. I checked the pellet box and they seemed alright, not wet or even damp. I have the stock 4 position thermo on the Traeger so I put it on smoke for about 3-4 hours before bumping up to med (225-240 they say).
About 3 hours into the smoke the barrel was lukewarm at best and only the fan was running. I turned it off and back on, and we were back in business, or so I thought. My daughter and I went to the store, came back, and barrel was cool again. The meat was warm, but I found out the pellets were a little damp, not smoldering right.
I replaced the pellets with brand new ones, put the thermo on medium, and went to town. No more flame outs and it was up to 200 by about 630 PM. The potatoes were a little lagging so I foiled up the meat good and tight and opened it 45 minutes later. I went to slice it up and got a gallon of juices, but it was tough and dry when we dove in. I don't know exactly how long the meat was without fire, but I imagine it was maybe 20-25 minutes total. What happened???
For you locals the meat was from Ellengee Market on the northwest side, I used Penzey's Chicago Steak Seasoning as my rub, and Pit Boss competition blend pellets from Menards. Any ideas?
About 3 hours into the smoke the barrel was lukewarm at best and only the fan was running. I turned it off and back on, and we were back in business, or so I thought. My daughter and I went to the store, came back, and barrel was cool again. The meat was warm, but I found out the pellets were a little damp, not smoldering right.
I replaced the pellets with brand new ones, put the thermo on medium, and went to town. No more flame outs and it was up to 200 by about 630 PM. The potatoes were a little lagging so I foiled up the meat good and tight and opened it 45 minutes later. I went to slice it up and got a gallon of juices, but it was tough and dry when we dove in. I don't know exactly how long the meat was without fire, but I imagine it was maybe 20-25 minutes total. What happened???
For you locals the meat was from Ellengee Market on the northwest side, I used Penzey's Chicago Steak Seasoning as my rub, and Pit Boss competition blend pellets from Menards. Any ideas?
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